A New Dawn
by skoolkid17
Summary: When Chicago native Jay Williams ends up at the Xavier Institute, new friends, new experiences, and a new love awaits him. But what happens when this new love is the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey?
1. Fresh Start

**Enjoy! Review please!**

**Disclaimer: **This is the ONLY time I'm gonna say this. X-men does not belong to me in the slightest of ways. I do not nor will I ever own anything that looks even REMOTELY familiar in this story.

**Jay's POV**

_Ugh…where the hell am I?_

I fought with all my might to open my weary eyes. _No really…where the hell am I…?_ And what was I doing in this weird looking science lab? I've never seen anything like this before. But then again…growing up on the streets of Chicago isn't necessarily fancy anyway.

To make a very long story short, I'm a mutant. Plain and simple. It seems like since the beginning of time mutants have been shunned or looked down upon. Thankfully, I don't have a freakish physical mutation like fangs or spikes. On the outside, I'm just your average nineteen-year-old. But I have a gift that's been helping me survive for the past six years…

I was born in a very rough part of Chicago to an anti-mutant father and a helpless mother. My dad was an evil bastard who beat the crap out of me every chance he got. My mom loved me, and I always knew she did. But she was way too petrified of my drunk of a father to do anything about it.

I remember the worst day of my life…when my dad got laid off from his job. It was the same day I discovered I was "different".

My dad came home yelling at the top of his lungs. I'm convinced he just liked hearing himself scream sometimes. He picked me up from my collar and started wailing on me. I remember it being the most excruciatingly painful thing I had ever experienced. My mom desperately tried to pull him off but he just pushed her to the ground. While she began weeping uncontrollably, I felt a surge of energy run through my body.

My right arm had grown twice its size, and I had punched the crap out of my father. He flew back and immediately blacked out. My mom looked at me in horror as I ran out of the door.

_I haven't seen them since…_

I was thirteen when I ran away from home. I know my dad would've kicked me out once he found out I was a "mutie" anyway. Whenever we saw a story about mutants on the news, my dad would practically spit at the television. My mom wouldn't have rejected me, but it's not like she would have a say in the matter.

I never really thought that hard about the _"mutant situation"_ to be honest. People are people to me. Nobody's really any better than the next person.

After I left home, I struggled for a while living on the street. I stole food, grabbed purses, got in fights. Basically, I did whatever I needed to do to survive. Eventually, I met this really big, tough guy. He was called "Big Blue" on the streets. Funny enough, he found me dumpster diving one evening. I know…_pathetic_. But screw you if you think you wouldn't do the same in my situation.

Turns out that Blue was the leader of a really tough drug gang in the city. Their name was "The Chicago Kings". In fact, they were pretty infamous. Big Blue took me into his group and taught me the ropes. I guess he just felt bad for me or something. Thugs have hearts too, you know.

After a lot of training and discipline, I became Blue's top seller. Not only had Blue taught me all of his street smarts, but I also had this crazy gift. So I was able to get the drug money with ease, but I was also able to protect myself whenever things got too wild. It didn't matter whether it was with the cops or with rival gangs. Protecting myself had become second nature to me. And the best part about it…I was _great _at it. That's why Blue liked me so much. I always got the job done. He considered me apart of his family.

Unfortunately, the other guys wished they had the relationship with Blue that I had, so there was always a bad vibe between us. They never touched me though, because they knew they couldn't beat me. Whenever we got into fights with other gangs, all of my opponents would get put down easily. _But that was just my enhanced strength._ I couldn't show anyone my other abilities, not even Blue. I didn't know how he felt towards mutants. He never really talked about that sort of thing. So I had to keep my powers a secret. However, in my alone time, I would spend it learning how to control my gift.

Besides enhanced strength, I have the ability to grow up to twice my normal size. I can also grow my individual body parts up to twice their regular size.

One night, before I had joined the gang, I woke up in an alley. I felt really strange so I stood up, only to find myself over eight feet tall. I'm 6'3''. In my full mutant form, I'm over 12 feet.

I've always accepted my powers. I never understood how some mutants hated who they were. I, on the other hand, embraced it. I saw it as a representation of strength, not weakness.

Anyways, to quicken things up, I ended up wanting to leave the gang by the time I turned nineteen. I don't know what happened. Big Blue just started acting different. He started becoming a bit ruthless. He began killing more and more people and things got way too out of hand. I felt like I was outgrowing the group, so I became distant. Blue noticed and confronted me about it. I knew the only way to get out of the gang was to get jumped out. No arguments. No defenses. No powers…

**Flashback**

"_I want out Blue," I uttered as straightforwardly as possible. Blue looked me up and down, as if he was trying to figure out what had suddenly come over me. _

_We stood in the trashy apartment I had lived in for the past six years. The entire gang shared the tacky place. I stared at the aging, bald man in complete nervousness. Something about Blue always made me nervous. I was a mutant…a somewhat powerful one at that. But Blue always had a look in his eye that told me not to cross him. I just couldn't take it anymore. The rest of the gang surrounded us. They all wore shocked expressions on their faces. I guess they couldn't believe that someone had the balls to leave the group. Unfortunately, I did feel a bit guilty. Blue had looked out for me since I was a kid, but it was too late to turn back now. _

"_What's gotten into you Little Jay? You haven't been the same kid I've grown to respect in a while..." he replied in a calm, but threatening tone. His voice was deep and rigid. He placed a cigar in his mouth, lit it, and blew out a menacing puff of smoke. _

"_I just can't do this anymore. Cut me a break man…Let's just get this over with," I said, looking him square in the eye. If I was gonna go through with this, I had to show my mentor that I wasn't playing any games. _

_He took one last death glare at me before simply saying, "I'm disappointed in you." With one final wave of his hand, I was lifted away by the other members. _

_You would think that I would be scared. You would think that I would want to crack these guys' necks. But I didn't. If anything, I felt a strange sense of relief. This pounding I was about to get was worth it. I'd finally be free. _

_They took me to the alley outside of our apartment building. The October air was chilly and refreshing compared to our stuffy home. The guys had been yearning to beat me up since the day Blue brought me to meet them. They just loathed the fact that Blue actually cared about me. _

_They pulled me by my shirt, and started punching me dead in the face. One by one, they would elbow me in the eye or kick me in the stomach. _

"_Let's see how you're pretty little face looks without any teeth," one guy said as his atrocious breath smacked me across the face. He went on to strike me right in my mouth. I spit out some blood. _

_They continued beating the crap out of me until one guy took it too far. Leroy had always despised me most. I guess he had been Blue's right hand man until I came around. _

"_You're scum Jay. Do you hear me? S-C-U-M! SCUM!" Leroy yelled, his spit tickling my bruised face. Grabbing me by the neck, he continued. "What's your last words you ass?" he spat with venom, running a hand through his dirty blonde locks._

_I tiredly glared daggers at him. "Go to hell," I managed to say. Before I knew it, I saw a small knife coming out of his back pocket. He took one deep breath before stabbing me in the stomach. I yelped in pain before the guys continued to pounce on me. _

_Forceful kicks to my gut and legs. Punches to my jaw and chest. The last thing I remember was drifting off into a deep sleep…_

**End of Flashback**

And now I'm here, in this extremely high-tech lab, laying on a very comfortable bed. There were strings attached to my body. I felt unbelievably sore all over, but I could tell my body was doing a little better. I could still see the pink and purple bruises on my arm, and it was very painful for me to sit up in the seat (but I managed to anyway). I really had no idea where I was, but now that I think about it, things could've been a lot worse.

I felt a sting in my stomach and touched the area. Someone had bandaged the place Leroy had stabbed me. _Jackass._ If I ever see him again, I'm gonna kill him.

After a few minutes, a blue furry man walked into the room. He was well built and big, wearing glasses and a lab coat. His appearance caught me off guard, so I jumped. I had never seen anybody like him before. I knew there were mutants like this guy, but it's different when you meet them in person. He just laughed at me while glancing down at a clipboard in his hands.

"Hello James. You don't have to be alarmed. I'm a mutant like you. We just happen to look different. However, on a more serious note, I am very happy to see you awake. You were beaten up pretty badly when we found you," the blue man finished.

"_What_-_where_-who the hell are you?" I inquired, clearly confused.

"Dr. Hank McCoy son. I am the head of the Science Department here at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. I'm also responsible for the creation of Cerebro."

"The Xavier Institute? That school for mutants? That's what the hell this is?" I asked while looking around the room.

"Precisely James," Hank confirmed.

"How do you know who I am?"

"_Because we found you in an abandoned alleyway James." _A very mautre, masculine voice echoed in my head and startled me. Hank opened the door and an older guy in a wheel chair rolled into the infirmary. He looked like he was in his late fifties, early sixties. And I have to admit that his wheelchair was pretty sick. It was all high-tech and stuff.

"Who are you?" I asked bewildered.

"I'm Charles Xavier, the Headmaster of this institute. You've met Hank, also known as Beast. I'm a mutant as well, a telepath as a matter of fact," he informed me in a very calm and confident voice.

"Wait a second...I've seen you before. On the news. You do a lot of stuff for mutants," I mentioned.

"Yes. That is very true James. I have tried my hardest for a very long time to build a bond of peace between humans and mutants. I have the ability to read people's thoughts. That's how we know your name," Xavier explained.

"Well then you should know I prefer to be called Jay." He just gave me a small smile.

"I don't like to snoop in people's minds…_Jay_," he chuckled.

"So how did you guys find me?"

"The professor used Cerebro to locate you. You were rescued by Nightcrawler and Angel after your _little_ incident…" Hank explained, eyeing all of my cuts and bruises.

"You guys have a machine that can locate mutants? What the hell kind of place is this?"

"Jay, if you could refrain from all of the unnecessary language, I would be most grateful," Xavier suggested kindly.

"Sorry," I said with hesitancy. "What are a Nightcrawler and an Angel?"

"They are two of our esteemed X-Men," Xavier replied.

"You mean…those mutants who are always on TV…?" Xavier chuckled at this.

"Precisely. We're a group of mutants who fight against injustice, hoping that one day mutant and humankind alike will be at peace with one another."

I snorted.

"Good luck with that."

"You want to know something Jay? You're quite a strong mutant yourself. I'm sure you'd be a great asset to our team one day."

"We'll see about that."

Hank and Xavier looked at each other and smiled. I didn't know what the heck was so funny. I was dead serious.

"Please don't be offended by our laughter son," the bald man continued, as I ran a hand through my dark brown hair. "It's just that so many young people have come to our school with your exact attitude and have turned out to become some of the most effective advocates of what we stand for here."

_Well_…_to be honest..._I didn't really have anywhere else to go. To tell you the truth, this place didn't seem _too _bad.

"So what now?" I inquired.

"Well, first you need to continue resting. Thank God for your increased healing rate. It's not that developed yet, but it most assuredly saved your life," Hank told me.

_Wow_. I didn't even know I had an increased healing rate.

"And the next part is entirely up to you Jay. Would you like to stay here? We can give you a warm bed, a welcoming environment, and a chance to stand for something. You will be accepted here. No one will treat you badly for being a mutant," Xavier said with folded hands.

"I guess…I could stay here…" I responded after a minute of thought and personal persuasion.

"Very well then son. Stay in the infirmary for a bit longer and we'll take the rest from there," Xavier said, obviously content.

Before we could continue talking, someone peeked through the door and walked in.

_Oh my God_…_this girl was beautiful_. Not just any type of beautiful. She was like…_"I want to get to know who you are" _beautiful.

Sure…I've slept with girls before. A good amount of em' actually. But that's all it's been. Sex. Meaningless sex. This girl was something different...Simply beautiful.

She had the most gorgeous red hair I had ever seen in my entire life. It was cut short, like one of those pixie cut things. I swear she had the most stunning pair of green eyes that ever existed. I know I sound pathetic right now, but there isn't one thing I didn't notice about this girl.

She was wearing a tight long-sleeved striped sweater, black skinnies, and black boots. She had a cute ring on her finger with some other nice accessories complimenting her appearance. Both of her ears had double piercings and cartilage piercings.

The mystery girl was about 5'5'' with a very sexy, slender body. She had thin pink lips and a cute nose. And her skin was fair.

The girl directed her gaze towards Xavier as I kept my gaze directly on her.

"Sorry to interrupt but my mom said she needs you for a moment Professor," the girl said. Her voice was smooth, yet edgy…_and freakin' sexy_.

"Thank you Samantha. Tell her I'll be there in a minute," he replied with a warm smile.

_Samantha_…I suddenly became in love with that name.

She nodded and quickly looked my way for a second. I could tell she was a bit confused, being that I was new to this place and all. But before I could get a chance to say anything, she was gone. I must've been staring at the door for a while because I noticed Hank and Xavier glaring at me with amused looks stuck on their faces.

"_She's off limits Jay,"_ Hank instructed with a somewhat serious tone.

"_The hell she is…" _I thought before Hank and Xavier left me to sleep. Hopefully, I'd dream of the future me and this girl were bound to have…

**PLEEASSSEEE REEEEVIIIEEWWWW!**


	2. Meeting The Gang

**Thanks for all of the support guys! Special thanks to Stormysongbird for her unfailing help and encouragement. ENJOY! **

**Jay's POV**

I was finally released from the infirmary, which apparently was referred to as the "Med Lab". Thanks to my increased healing rate, I only had to spend a few more days in there. I was elated to finally be up and moving again. I'm so used to being on my feet all the time that it's sorta weird to be on bed rest.

Xavier told me to visit his office once I got better. Hank-_well Beast_-gave me directions, but this mansion was freakin' colossal. There was no way I was gonna find the room on my own. You would think I'd be better at this sort of thing. Growing up on the streets gave me some instincts on how to get around, but I never dealt with anything like this before. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood. _Anyone_ could get lost in this mansion.

There had to be thousands of students living in this place, at least that's what it seemed like. The house was teeming with young people, and for once in my life, I felt like I was in a _real _home. It was so welcoming here. _And they definitely weren't lying when they said this was a school for mutants_…one girl with red and black hair zoomed past me like a bolt of lightning. I didn't even get a good chance to look at her face. This was most assuredly a new environment for me.

While I earnestly searched for Xavier's office, I decided it wouldn't hurt to wander around the mansion. This "school" had everything. I didn't understand how these kids could learn anything with all of this stuff surrounding them on a daily basis.

Some teens were idly watching TV in the lounge rooms. Others were tossing the football around on the front lawn. And I even saw a group of kids stuffing their faces in the kitchen.

Eventually, I got annoyed with my quest to find the office. I started to give up until I saw the beautiful work of art from the other day. _Samantha…_

Without thinking of the consequences, I rushed towards her, not worrying about the few people I pushed on the way. I lightly grabbed her arm before she turned around to face me. _Holy crap…She was even hotter up close._

Her green eyes just glared at me in a confused manner.

"Hi…" she said with the prettiest grin I had ever seen. It was almost seductive.

"Hey…" I finally managed to get out.

"Do you need help with something?"

"Umm…umm…yeah." I had never been this idiotic in my life!

What was going on with me? It was like this girl had magic powers. _Well_…_we are in a school for mutants.._.But I doubt that her ability was causing me to act like this. I hate to say it but I may be just be wildly attracted to her. And not just her looks…_all of her_.

_Ugh…gross Jay._ _Why don't you go watch a Lifetime movie or shave your legs?_

"You wanna tell me what you need help with?" she continued with a chuckle, snapping me out of my daze. She was so cute.

"Yeah…I'm supposed to be meeting the Professor at his office, but I'm kind of lost. This place is just so big. Can you help me?"

"Sure. Follow me," she replied before strutting off. I stayed back for a moment just to stare at her. _There's no way this girl could be this perfect._ She turned around to face me.

"You coming or what newbie?"

"Oh yeah, I'm coming alright…" I muttered under my breath before following her.

Once we had been walking for a few minutes, I decided to start up a conversation. This was the perfect time to initiate some sort of relationship.

"_So_…my name's Jay," I began. I tried giving her a slight grin to show I was interested.

"Sam," she responded before giving me a lovely small of her own.

"Yeah, I already know your name," I admitted.

"You stalking me Jay?" she asked jokingly. _Damn…I love the way she says my name._

"No, nothing like that. I saw you come into the Med Lab the other day and Xavier said your name."

"Oh...wait..._that was you_? Wow," she said while looking me over for a second, "You look much better when there aren't a hundred scrapes and bruises all over you." We both laughed.

_Good start Jay…she thinks you're cute. _Or maybe she was just being nice. However, I didn't take this girl as the fake type. So far, she seemed pretty straightforward.

I believe I'm a pretty good looking guy. I have dark brown coiffed hair. I'm muscular and tall with slightly tan skin. And my eyes are dark blue. The girls I've been with in the past love my eyes.

"Where you from?" Sam questioned.

"Chicago."

"Tough area. Were things rough for you there?"

"You have no idea."

"Trust me Jay. You're not alone. Over eighty percent of the kids who come in here have suffered one way or another."

"What about you Sam? Where are you from?"

"Here," she said with a chuckle.

"Here?" I was genuinely confused.

"Yeah, my mom and dad are teachers here. This is where I was born. I grew up in this mansion."

"Really?"

"Yeah. What were you expecting? Sorry I couldn't give you some over-the-top story of how I destroyed a village and ran all the way here on my bare feet," Sam joked. I chuckled, running a hand through my hair.

"That's not what I meant. You're just really fortunate, I guess. I would have given anything to grow up in a place like this."

"I guess. My dad can be sort of…_annoying_ sometimes. He tried sheltering me too much, but I ended that quickly."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say I like to have fun," she replied with a wink before stopping at a large wooden door. "Well, here's the office. I'll wait for you to come out."

"You're really gonna wait for me?" I asked seductively, stepping a little closer to her. I even lowered my tone.

"We wouldn't want you getting lost again, right?"

I smiled before walking in.

…

The meeting with Xavier was nice and brief. He was a pretty cool guy. The one thing I did like about him was the fact that he respected other peoples' privacy. He can easily read minds whenever he wants, but he knows we have a right to keep things to ourselves.

He gave me a class schedule and my room number. I asked what I'd be wearing since I had absolutely no clothes whatsoever. Apparently, a guy named Bobby was going to the mall to handle that situation.

Xavier even talked to me about possibly joining the junior X-Men team. I told him I'd think about it, but he insisted on me at least starting the "Danger Room" sessions, _wha__tever the hell that was_.

I walked outside holding a piece of paper in my hand. Sam kept her promise. I was relieved to see her leaning against the wall.

"You really waited up?"

"I said I would dummy."

"Smartass, huh?"

"I have my moments," she grinned.

"So do you know where this room is?" I asked before handing her the paper Xavier gave me.

"Oh my God! Yeah I do actually. You're sharing a room with two of my friends. C'mon. I'll introduce you guys," Sam beamed, grabbing my arm and leading me to our destination.

Once we reached the door, Sam didn't even hesitate to open it. A boy who looked around my age sat on his bed strumming a guitar.

"What the hell Sam?! What if I was naked?" the guy exclaimed.

"If you were naked Tony, none of us would be impressed. And you barge into my room all the time and I never even get an apology. Screw you," she replied laughing.

"Well, I can't help it if I wanna see a few lovely ladies before starting my day," he said with a wink, "Who's the dude?" I noticed he was motioning towards me.

"My name's Jay. I guess I'm your new roommate," I answered before shaking his hand.

"_Ooohh_, you're the new guy Beast told us about. Awesome. You should like it in here."

"Cool."

Tony was a nice looking guy with pale skin and insanely unreal blue eyes. He was maybe an inch or two shorter than me, sporting a few ear piercings and a lip piercing. Tony was tall with a very thin frame. Lean, but thin. What stood out the most concerning his appearance was his aqua blue hair. It didn't seem dyed. I'm pretty sure that was all him. Tony must've seen me staring because he gave me an answer before I could even ask.

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah._ My hair is natural. I was born with it, due to my mutation. The ladies love it," he grinned. He must've gotten used to people asking about it.

"What can you do?"

Without saying anything, Tony clasped his hands together. When he opened them, an electrical ball was forming inside. Before it got too big, he clasped his hands again. The ball vanished and I was impressed.

"That's awesome man," I complimented.

"Thanks."

Another boy who looked around my age walked out of our bathroom. He was only wearing a towel and I quickly looked at Sam to see if she was fazed by it…She wasn't.

"What the hell Sam? I'm in a freakin' towel. Have some decency," he joked.

"I totally said the same exact thing!" Tony added.

"Jay this is Zach. Zach this Jay. He's your new roommate."

Zach smiled and shook my hand.

He was just about my height with bright blue eyes and a blonde faux hawk. He was lean but definitely more built than Tony.

"I hope Sam hasn't been giving you too much trouble Jay. She can definitely be a handful sometimes," Zach continued, wearing a big grin.

"No, she's been great," I replied before giving Sam a quick wink. I think Zach and Tony noticed because they gave each other big goofy smirks.

"How exactly has she been great?" Tony teased. Sam covered her face with one hand in mock embarrassment. She giggled.

"_Oh my God_. You guys' suck. I'm gonna leave now. Have fun boys." She proceeded to leave out the room.

I spent the next hour lying on my new bed and getting to know my two roommates.

Zach Evans was a really funny and smart nineteen-year-old. He was very down-to-earth and easy to talk to. He told me he possessed the ability to exert large forces of energy from his body. _I can't wait to see that up close._

Tony Romano was an outspoken, silly eighteen-year-old. The Italian had a very edgy clothing style and adored rock music. He had posters of Queen, Nirvana, and many other popular rock bands all over his wall.

The room was pretty big and spacious. It was really nice too, way better than an average campus dorm. The majority of the room was pretty neat. Zach's side looked like he'd been here for a while, but it was still well-kept. Tony's stuff was all over the place.

Eventually, we left to go chill in one of the lounge rooms. Zach said we were gonna meet up with "the gang". Hopefully, that word had a different meaning here than it did in Chicago.

We reached the room and students were doing a lot of different things. Two guys were playing video games on the TV. A girl was reading a book on a large bean bag chair. And a few kids were studying at a circular table.

Tony led us over to three girls sitting down on a couch. One of them was Sam. I got excited, but tried my best not to show it. She just got cuter every time I saw her. _What the hell Jay? Get it together…_

Tony sat down on the floor, while Zach and I relaxed on a couch facing the girls.

"Hi, I'm Quinn! Quinn Delmond. Nice to meet you Jay," one of the girls greeted me.

She was really cute with black hair in a short cut. However, her hair was in a different style than Sam's. Quinn wore glasses and looked like she stood at around 5'4'' or 5'5''. Her body was nice and slim. She had four piercings in one ear and three in the other. I noticed she also wore a small nose ring.

"Do you read minds or something?" I asked. Quinn just chuckled.

"No. But Sam kind of already told us your name," she replied. I laughed.

"I'm Brielle. How have you liked the mansion so far Jay?" the other girl asked in an easy going tone. She seemed very social.

"It's pretty cool. Really big though. I got lost earlier."

"I know…Sam told us about how she _saved_ you this morning," Brielle mentioned before giving her friend a knowing smirk. Sam just waved her away with one hand.

Brielle was a very attractive African American girl with beautiful brown eyes. She was slender with long black hair that reached a little past her shoulders. Her skin was mocha and she stood at around 5'6'', or so it seemed.

"Thank God she was there. If she hadn't found me, I would probably still be lost," I admitted.

"You're right Sam. _He is hot_," Brielle muttered to her friend. She tried to do it under her breath but I heard. Sam blushed, trying her best not to look my way.

"So what's your power Jay? Anything cool?" Zach asked.

"Well, my body can grow up to twice its size. And so can my individual body parts, like my legs or fists."

"That's so cool. I can't wait to see you in the Danger Room! You're probably a monster," Quinn beamed.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself Quinn. We don't even know if he's going to join the junior team yet," Sam added.

"Are you?" Quinn inquired.

"Umm…I don't know yet. Maybe. It seems like it'd be fun," I responded.

"It's a lot of fun. After my first Danger Room, I almost died. But once you get used to it, you'll have a ball!" Zach joked. The group laughed.

"Well, if you do decide to join, I have the perfect codename for you," Tony said smiling.

"And what's that?"

"Goliath! You know, like that giant in the Bible! It would be awesome," Tony finished in excitement.

"Hmm…_Goliath_…not bad Tony."

"I like it…" Sam grinned, staring straight at me.

_Mmmm…and I like you…_

**Hope you liked the chapter! REEEEEEEVVIIIIIEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!**


	3. Movie Night

**ENJOY!**

**Jay's POV**

_Wuthering Heights_ sucks. Plain and simple. It just sucks. I was sitting in English Lit next to Tony. Our teacher Natasha McCoy was cool and all but this story was giving me a headache. Apparently, Mrs. McCoy was hitched to "Mr. Bigfoot" himself, Beast. I've gotta admit. I was a bit surprised Hank could bag someone as cute as Natasha. She was a real catch. I guess it was the whole "sexy schoolteacher" thing she had going on. Well…at least that's how I saw her. She was slender and tall, and her long brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail.

I had been at the institute for probably a week now. It was a really cool place. Sam and her friends were very easy to get along with. Rooming with Tony and Zach was a lot of fun. We'd stay up all night talking about a bunch of different things. Having guy friends who didn't kill for a living was refreshing. Zach and I would go outside and toss the football around. And Tony would introduce me to new bands that he loved.

Even though it had only been a short period of time, a bond had already formed between me and the group. It was weird how comfortable a guy like me could be in a place like this. It made me realize that, deep down, I had always longed for a stable environment. Unfortunately, I was never afforded the opportunity until now.

Tony was "discreetly" texting someone when his phone suddenly shut off. Mrs. McCoy had stopped writing on the board and turned around smirking.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped texting in my class Mr. Romano."

"You turned my phone off? Total abuse of power. Not cool. _Totally not cool_," Tony replied with a mischievous grin plastered across his face.

"Having the ability to control technology has its perks. Now get back to work Tony," she said with an innocent wink.

"Yes Ms. Dugan-I mean McCoy! Sorry. Still getting used to the name change!" Tony teased. The class laughed. I guess Natasha and Hank hadn't been married for too long.

As the lesson continued, I couldn't stop staring at Sam. She sat next to Quinn, a few seats ahead of me and Tony. Every time I saw her, she looked more and more radiant. _What the hell is going on with you Jay? It's as if she has you wrapped around her finger. Snap out of it! _

But I couldn't help myself…She was so attractive in her romper and cardigan. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Mrs. McCoy even had to snap me out of a daze a few times. Sam would just turn around and grin. _Did she know I had been looking at her? I hope not…_

"So…I'm guessing you've got your eyes set on a certain _red-head_?" Tony asked me in a very quiet whisper. He made sure he couldn't be heard. Natasha had ears like a hawk.

"Shut up asshole," I whispered back jokingly. He tapped me lightly on the arm.

"Jay, it's totally fine. I completely understand. Sam's hot. Why wouldn't you be interested?"

"Look…I'm not saying that I am…But let's just say, _hypothetically_, if I was interested, would she happen to be available?"

"Wow. You didn't strike me as the kind of guy to care about that sort of thing."

"What's that supposed to mean Tony?"

"Ummm…just that you have this whole 'bad boy' thing going on…I thought you wouldn't care if she was in a relationship."

"I don't just go around stealing guys' girlfriends. I just want to know if she's single. Is she or not?"

"She's single man."

"You could've just said that from the jump dipstick," I grinned.

"You know Jay, there are people you can talk to about your anger issues," Tony responded with a chuckle.

Once class ended, I got up from my seat as kids began to leave. I made sure I looked good before I made my way over to Sam. Bobby definitely hooked me up with the whole "clothes situation". He bought me a lot of nice stuff. I was guessing Xavier paid for all of it. I wore a dark thin t-shirt (that revealed the outline of my chest very nicely) and some dark blue jeans.

As I made my way over to Sam, she gathered her belongings. Quinn said her goodbyes before heading off with Tony.

"Hey Sam," I began with a smirk.

"Hi Jay. Did you like the class?"

"Total snooze fest," I joked before hearing someone clear their throat. I turned to see Natasha glaring at me, but I could tell she wasn't really offended. In fact, she looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Well Jay, if you weren't too busy eyeing Ms. Summers the entire period, I'm sure you would've recognized how captivating the story actually is," she stated. I blushed before running a hand through my hair.

"Sorry Mrs. McCoy. I'll try to pay more attention next time," I said, trying to make amends for my last comment.

"I know you will. Have a nice day guys," she finished with a smile. Sam and I exited the room.

"Very smooth Mr. Williams…_very smooth_," Sam teased.

"Not my finest hour. _So_…do students ever leave this place? Like to go chill somewhere?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I was just wondering...if you wanna maybe hang out tonight? Just the two of us," I suggested, stepping a little closer to her. She looked me up and down, interested.

"Are you flirting with me Jay?" Sam said with a sexy smirk.

"Maybe I am…" I said, still edging closer. As I looked down at her, I noticed we were only a few inches apart. Her body was scented with the smell of lavender. It was so freakin' intoxicating. I wanted to pick her up in my arms right then and there!

"As nice as that offer sounds…I'll have to pass big man." My heart instantly dropped. She had completely dissed me. I genuinely didin't see what the problem was.

"Why?"

"Tonight's movie night with the guys. Every week, we watch movies and eat snacks in my room. Well, to be more exact, the room I share with Quinn and Brielle. You should come. It'll be fun." _I guess that was better than nothing at all..._

"I'll be there…" I said, trying my best not to show my disappointment. But then Sam did something I wasn't expecting. She grabbed the back of my neck and pulled my head down so she could talk in my ear.

"But I promise you…_we'll have our time_…" Sam whispered. I could feel her warm, sweet breath tickle my ear. _She was so hot!_

She winked before walking away. All I could do was stare at her swaying hips like a complete idiot. _She was so…freakin'…amazing…_

She wasn't like other girls. She was definitely different. Her spunkiness and edge was admirable. Sam was so independent, strong and sexy. There was no way I wasn't getting closer to this girl…

**Sam's POV**

"You have a crush on him Sam! Admit it!" Brielle practically yelled at me.

It was evening and we were getting ready for our movie night. The room was ready. The popcorn was popped. _Bridesmaids_ was already in the DVD player. And the boys were supposedly on their way. Our friend Bridget was coming too, but she roomed with two girls named Carey and Morello.

Brielle was under the impression that I had the hots for Jay. Sure…he was sexy and all but I barely knew the guy. He seemed like he came from a rough patch. I've gotta admit though…his constant flirting was kind of a turn-on. And if I had to be even more honest, I enjoyed teasing him too.

I've dated a few guys before but nothing serious. My dad always tried to scare boys off, and most of the time, he succeeded. At least I had my mom...the cool one. I'm really close to her, and we talk about everything. Don't get me wrong. Deep down, I'm a daddy's girl...but he just gets under my skin sometimes!

I'll never forget the time I got my belly button ring. I didn't want to be alone so I convinced Quinn to get her nose pierced, even though she was reluctant at first. All I wanted to do was try something new! When my dad found out...let's just say the entire mansion could hear him yelling that night. I wouldn't say I'm a rebellious teen at all. In fact, I'm pretty good for a teenage girl. But I definitely enjoy experiencing life at its fullest. It's just hard to do sometimes when your parents are two of the most prominent X-men alive.

"I don't like him Bri. Let it go," I said, rolling my eyes. Quinn just laughed as she hopped on my bed.

"Well you should. That boy is fine as hell. You better tap that. I would if I were you," she joked. Bri was incredibly outgoing. She was alluring and confident. Guys at the institute always asked her out on dates, but she was pretty picky.

"Well, why don't you?"

"Because I've seen the way he looks at _you_ Sam! He's always eyeing you. You can't honestly tell me that you haven't noticed," Brielle argued, folding her arms.

"I guess I have. In fact…he sort of asked me out today…" Brielle practically jumped on me. Quinn gasped in shock.

"Why are you _just _telling us this?" Brielle screamed.

"I'm sorry I don't update you on every little event that goes on in my life."

"Listen chick. First off, this isn't some _little _event. He asked you OUT! And secondly, as your best friend, it's my duty to make sure I know everything that goes on in your life."

"Whatever. What do you think Quinn? Does Jay like me?"

"He does seem to stare at you a lot…_Who am I kidding?_ He totally wants to get you in bed," she replied. My two friends broke out into a fit of laughter. I rolled my eyes but still ended up smiling. Those girls were insane…

Soon enough, there was a knock at our door. Quinn opened it and Zach, Tony, and Jay waltzed in. Bridget followed shortly.

I loved nights like these. It's great living with my best friends. We're together all the time and I honestly can't imagine not having them around.

Once the movie started, we were all situated. I sat in between Brielle and Jay on the couch. Brielle made stupid comments here and there about me and Jay but I ignored them. Quinn sat beside Tony on the floor. I'm pretty sure he had a crush on her. He would try to wrap his arm around her shoulders but she would just smile and brush it off. _Burn. _And Zach and Bridget were too busy making out on Brielle's bed to pay any attention to the movie. They had been dating for a year now.

By the time the food poisoning scene started, I could feel Jay's breath in my ear. _God…it felt so good. _I tried to keep myself cool, calm and collected, but I could literally feel my temperature rising.

"I'm hungry. Let's go get some real food from the kitchen," he whispered.

"Umm…sure," I agreed, nervously. I was a very confident person, but Jay just made me anxious sometimes. However, I would be damned if he knew that.

"We'll be right back guys," I said before getting up from the couch. Brielle gave me a wink.

"Have fun you guys," she teased.

"Shut up whore," I muttered under my breath so only she could hear. She only giggled in response while tossing some popcorn in her mouth.

Jay and I made our way down to the kitchen pretty quickly. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the opportunity arose.

When we finally reached our destination, Jay immediately searched the refrigerator as I sat on one of the high chairs next to the counter.

"Sam, I don't think you ever told me what you can do. I mean, I know what Zach and Tony's powers are. Brielle told me she can transform into a lion. And Quinn said she can shift into a person from someone's memories, but you never talked about your gift," he mentioned.

"I guess you'll have to wait and see," I said before batting my eyelashes.

"You kidding me? Is that how we're doing things?"

"You'll see eventually Little Jay. Be patient," I said. I loved toying with him. There was something so sexy about it...He turned around from the refrigerator for a second to look at me. His lips formed into a smirk.

"I can assure you babe…there's nothing _little _about me." I felt like fainting. We had only known each other for a week, but he talked to me with such confidence that I felt drawn to him in a way. It was _crazy _attractive!

"How charmi-" I was cut off when the worst possible thing in the world happened…MY DAD WALKED IN THE ROOM! He was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt! _Ugh…this couldn't get any more embarrassing._

"What's this?" he began in a calm, but protective tone.

Jay had taken out some leftover shrimp scampi by this time. He looked between the two of us in confusion.

"This is my friend Jay. He just got here a week ago." They shook hands while Jay slurped up a noodle. My dad gave me a bewildered look.

"Hello Jay. How have you found the mansion so far?" he continued. _Go away dude!_

"It's awesome. I like it a lot. But if you don't mind me asking…who are you? Things seem a little weird right now."

My dad just gave me an amused, questioning look. "Yeah Sam…_who am I_?" _Smartass_…I lowered my head in embarrassment.

"Jay, this is my dad. Scott Summers." Jay immediately spit the noodle he had been chewing out and began coughing. I giggled…it was cute. My dad just rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry man. Didn't mean to come off as disrespectful," Jay apologized.

"It's fine. How do you know my daughter?" _Oh God…here it comes. Protective Cyclops…_

"She found me lost one day and helped me get to the Professor's office," he explained.

"Did she now…?"

"Well, technically, he found _me._ But who's keeping track, huh?" I joked, desperately trying to make the situation less awkward.

"Hmmm…well I was just down here to get a drink. I'll be out of your way in a second," my dad said before going into the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

He gave me one last look that screamed "_Behave yourself"_ and _"I don't know about this kid" _before heading towards the doorway. "Goodnight kids."

"Goodnight," Jay and I said in unison. We grinned at each other as my dad left the room.

"You survived your first 'Scott Summers Ambush'," I joked.

"Please, your dad _loves_ me," Jay replied sarcastically.

"_Right_…maybe we should go back upstairs," I suggested.

After that embarrassing moment, I had completely lost my appetite…

**HOPE YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER! TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT! REVIEW!**


	4. Relationship Matters

**Here's a new chapter for you guys. I just wanted to let you know that I'm using a few characters from my old story (XMen: The New Recruits) here and there. I didn't want you to be confused if you didn't recognize a name or something. Anyways, enjoy! AND REVIEW PLEASE! **

**Sam's POV**

"Don't forget students. Your projects are due next week," Professor Takahashi informed the class, reminding us as we left the lab. Quinn and I strolled out of our Human Anatomy session giggling.

"I can't believe Siegfried almost set the room on fire!" Quinn uttered in between chuckles.

"I know. He shouldn't be allowed to participate in group experiments anymore," I replied.

"Totally. He's such a dork."

The two of us had planned on studying for an upcoming history quiz, so we headed to the library. After finding a table, we began to go through our Holocaust notes. I also thought this would be a great time to have some one-on-one "girl talk" with Quinn.

"_Soo…_" I began.

"Spit it out Sam," Quinn demanded nonchalantly. I laughed.

"Ugh, you know me so well…"

"What is it bud?" she asked.

"Have you heard from Zane recently…?" I immediately regretted asking after I saw Quinn's face. She couldn't even look me in the eye. You would've thought someone had paralyzed her. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business." Quinn just gave me a soft smile.

"Don't be stupid Sam. Of course it's your business. You're one of my best friends, so I'd be worried if you weren't concerned. It's just that…I haven't exactly heard from him in a while…and I'm really starting to worry."

"Wait a second. He hasn't contacted to you at all?" I was genuinely shocked. Zane was Quinn's _boyfriend_. I understand that he was on a mission in Haiti, but he could've still attempted to reach her. This wasn't like Zane. He was usually so invested in his relationship with Quinn.

"Not really. I'm always checking my phone to see if I missed his call or something, but I always end up disappointed," Quinn said, slightly lowering her gaze.

"I'm so sorry Quinn...Is it because of the whole _'Mia'_ thing…?" I tiptoed around this question a lot, but I needed to know. Quinn's eyes started to tear up.

"Ummm…yeah. I think so. He's just been distant ever since it happened." Her voice began to quiver and I quickly held her hand.

"It's okay Quinn. You don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. I want to. I love talking to Zach but he can never really relate when it comes to things like this. He's not a girl. I'm happy I can finally talk to another chick about it," she continued, giving me a weak smile.

"I get it." I gave her a smile of my own.

"Anyway, the day _it_ happened…we were making out. It was great as usual. He had his arms around me. It was going perfectly. _And then_…we opened our eyes…And I'll never forget the way he looked at me…It was as if he was staring into the eyes of the devil himself."

I tightened my grip on Quinn's hand as she continued with her story. She had never really gone into depth like this before.

"I didn't realize what happened until he ran out the door. When I saw myself in the mirror…I almost fainted. I was _Mia_…his _dead _ex-girlfriend. I tried to explain to him how sorry I was. He knows I can't control my powers but I still think he resents me for what I did. I have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen when he comes back. It's going to be so awkward."

"You guys will be fine Quinn. He loves you. Everyone can see the way he looks at you," I tried to say in the most comforting tone imaginable.

"That's the point Sam. He doesn't have that _look _anymore."

"I'm sure he just needs time to get over the whole thing. _Zane loves you._ I remember when he used to talk my ear off about you. There's no way he's going to stay distant. Relax a little." Quinn smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Okay…But there's something else."

"What is it?" I inquired.

"I think Tony likes me…"

I rolled my eyes humorously.

"I could've told you that Quinn," I responded in a straightforward manner.

"How'd you know? Has he said something?" She seemed very interested.

"He doesn't really have to. It's sort of obvious. Tony's a very direct person, so pretty much everyone notices," I explained, "Wait. You don't have feelings for him, do you?"

"No! I have a boyfriend. It's just nice to get some attention once in a while..."

"Don't mess around with someone else just because Zane's being an ass right now," I advised.

"You're totally right. Thanks so much Sam. You're awesome," Quinn said.

"I know," I joked in mock arrogance. I then noticed Quinn's attention turn to something behind me.

"Why can't relationships be like that?" she expressed, pointing towards Mr. and Mrs. McCoy. I hadn't noticed them entering the library.

"_They are kinda perfect_," I agreed as I turned my head around.

"That's what I want to have one day. A stable relationship with the guy I love."

"I'm with you Quinn," I said after taking one last look at the beautiful couple best known as "Nank".

"Well, we should probably get back to studying," my friend stated, wiping her eyes.

"Totally."

I made sure not to talk about boys for the remainder of the afternoon.

…

**Zach's POV**

I loved kissing Bridget. It was like…_really good_. In fact, sometimes I wondered how she got so good…

Bridget is the perfect girlfriend; strong, intelligent, sexy. I can't believe, out of all the guys in the mansion, she picked me. Yeah…I was cute I guess but she's just…_out of this world. _

The only downside to our relationship is our lack of privacy. Don't get me wrong. I love my friends to death. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them. _However_…sometimes they can get in the way. It seems like whenever we're alone, someone bothers us. Whether it's Quinn with her "Zane problems" or Tony with his dumb pranks, we get bombarded in some way. But maybe it's all in my head and I'm just going crazy or something…

Bridget and I continued our make-out session on my bed. Her lips were so soft and tasty. Her breath smelled like fresh mint. I felt my way through her long, curly blonde hair as she rested her delicate hands on my chest. _This was heaven…_

"Zach!" Jay yelled as he walked into our room, slamming the door. Bridget and I jolted up.

"What the hell Jay? I'm sort of in the middle of something…" I motioned towards Bridget.

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah_. We get it. Your girlfriend's hot. Hi Bridget," Jay continued with a grin.

"Hi Jay," she greeted back with flushed lips and a chuckle, "I'll get going."

"_Noo_…don't leave me Bridge," I whined.

"I'll be back later babe," she winked before kissing me and heading out the door. I immediately gave Jay a death glare.

"_This better be good…_" I warned him.

"I have to ask you a question," he said before sitting next to me.

"What do you want?"

"Do you have any idea where Sam and I could get some _alone time_?" he asked, nudging me playfully.

"If I did Jay…I'D BE THERE RIGHT NOW!" I declared. Jay laughed and jokingly punched me in the arm.

"No seriously Zach. Please tell me. I know I just messed up your flow with Bridget but I can't stop thinking about Sam. You're my friend. I need your help."

"_Ugh_…I guess you guys can go to the greenhouse. I've taken Bridge there a couple times. Plus Storm's on a mission in Haiti, so it's perfect. Go after dinner. It's beautiful during the sunset."

"You're the best man. That's exactly what I needed. I owe you one," Jay said before getting up to leave the room.

"YOU OWE ME TWO!" I screamed at him before the door closed.

Jay and I have grown very close over the short time he's been here. I love him like my own brother but if he interrupts me and my girlfriend one more time…I will not hesitate to blast him with a couple of my energy beams!

…

**Brielle's POV**

_What the hell are you doing Brielle? This is definitely a mistake._

I couldn't believe I was on my way to see him. We did not belong together. He completely opposed everything I believed in. Sure…he was a mutant. But he was still my enemy and that's all that matters.

All we had was a fling. We hooked up a couple of times. That's it. It didn't mean anything…_right?_

Screw this! All I have to do is walk into the diner, sit down, and tell him to stop messaging me. We would never be a "_thing"_. He was such a hotheaded moron. I couldn't be associated with that douchebag.

I had two hours before I had to head back to the mansion. Scott told me to be back home before dinner, so I was going to make this _"little meeting"_ quick.

As I drove into the diner's parking lot, my heart began to flutter. _Shut up_, I told it. You do not have any feelings for this boy.

_Yet here I was…_

I parked my car and hesitated before walking in. When I entered the small restaurant, I looked around for the guy I was supposed to be meeting. There weren't that many people inside.

I finally noticed a dude my age with brownish blonde hair in the back. He wore all black and I could notice the faint goatee he was sporting. He didn't have that the last time we were together. It looked…_hot. No Brielle! There's nothing hot about this jerk! _

I eyed him for a moment and took a deep breath before approaching the table. When he saw me, those fiery eyes immediately sparked. _Those eyes_…they always got me. _Damn it. _

"_Well, well, well._ If it isn't the most beautiful girl that's ever had the balls to leave me…" he arrogantly began, "How are you Brielle?" I rolled my eyes as I took a seat across from him.

"I'm fine John," I replied blandly.

"You're still as feisty as ever…" He gave me that signature smirk that used to make me melt. _In fact, I think it still does…_

"Damn right." I noticed there was a small cup of coffee in front of me. He was already drinking his, so I decided to take a sip. _Damn him…He still knew what I liked…_

"Hazelnut. You remembered," I muttered.

"Of course I remember. It's your favorite," he responded. I forgot how sexy his voice was…It was so raspy and deep. _Snap out of it girl!_

"Go to hell…_Pyro_." I had to say his real name…_Pyro_…That was the only way I wouldn't fall into his charms. I had to remember who he really was, Magneto's right hand man.

"C'mon babe. Why does the situation have to be like this? Things used to be so good between us. Remember the time when we snuck out of the institute and spent the night at the beach? _We had a good time, didn't we?_" He seductively winked at me.

"Yeah I do remember…And I also remember the time I caught you and Tonia together…" His face dropped. "_Yeah…that's what I thought_."

"You were always the one for me." _Did he really just have the balls to use that line on me?! _

"Screw you. I'm not one of those girls that you toy with. If anything, you're_ my_ puppet," I spat before getting up to leave the table. He lightly grabbed my arm, so I wouldn't leave.

"If you hate me Ellie, why did you come?" he asked. _Ugh…why did he have to call me Ellie? That was his name for me…_

"I don't know. You tell me. Because you only seem to be wasting my time," I replied before sitting down again.

"I want you Ellie. I miss you. To be honest, you were the only girl I've ever known to challenge me. You were by far the most exciting." _I couldn't believe this moron._

"_Soo_…you want me because I was the best _lay_ you've ever had…? _Geez_, sorry for being so easy," I replied sarcastically.

"You know I didn't mean it that way Brielle."

"_I'm sure you didn't John_. Maybe I should go. I was right. This was a huge mistake." I got up and walked out as quickly as I could. I had to get away from him.

When I got back into my car, I started to think. I felt so guilty for having this relationship with him. None of my friends knew about our fling, even before he left the school. I desperately wanted to tell them on several occasions, but we thrived off of the secrecy. It made us even more attracted to each other. Before I could stick the key into the ignition, the car door opened. John sat in the passenger seat and gave me a serious, _sexy _glare.

"Now you listen to me Brielle. I like you. And I respect you. I called you here to tell you that I missed you. I don't give a damn about the school you go to. But I do give a damn about _you_, regardless of my past mistakes. Yeah…I get it. I'm an _asshole_. But I'm _your _asshole. Admit it, I'm right. _You know I'm right_," he explained, leaning in closer to me. I could feel his warm, enticing breath.

"_Damn it…_"

Immediately, we crushed our lips together in a heap of lust and passion. The last thing I remember was being pushed in the back with John's lips pressed against my bare neck…

…

**Jay's POV**

"Where are we going?" Sam asked as we headed to the greenhouse. I wanted it to be a surprise, so my hands were covering her eyes.

_I know what you're thinking. Jay, what are you doing taking a pretty girl out for a romantic evening? You're a thug from Chicago. _I know, but honestly, who cares? I like this girl. It wasn't like I was in love with her or anything. In fact, I was far from it. The idea of love scares the hell out of me, and I had only been here for a minimal amount of time anyway. But I did want her to know I was interested…

_Thank God Zach gave me the tip about this place. _

"You'll see eventually. Just shut up already," I joked. I could see the corners of her pretty little mouth form a smile.

"Whatever loser."

When we finally entered the interior of the greenhouse, I lifted my hands from her eyes. She looked completely stunned. I had to admit…it was kind of beautiful. The sun was beginning to set and an aura of peace filled the room. _I really did owe Zach big time…_

Sam remained speechless as we sat down on a wooden bench.

"This is really thoughtful Jay," she finally uttered. Her gorgeous green eyes met my dark blue ones. I was engrossed in them for a moment.

"No problem. Just thought it'd be nice…" I replied softly.

"Why are you doing all of this? You don't really know me that well," she admitted.

"But I want to," I said, inching a little closer. She blushed.

"I'm sure you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned, interested what she had to say.

"Are you doing all of this so you can get me in bed? And don't lie to me. I know how you guys' are." _Wow…she was so strong and honest. I had definitely met my match. The girls I've been with in the past were practically morons..._

"Is that what you think?"

"I don't know. What should I think?"

"Think of me as a guy…trying to get to know a girl…"

She grinned and rested her hand on my thigh. I immediately got excited.

"Well…_keep trying Mr. Williams_."

"You're pretty confident in yourself," I flirted.

"Well, shouldn't I be?"

I paused for a moment before slightly leaning in. _I needed to kiss her. I needed to see what those pretty pink lips tasted like…_

Before we got too close, she slyly backed away.

"It's not that easy pretty boy," she teased with a grin. I gave her a smirk of my own.

"_You're good_," I responded.

"I know. Thanks for the sunset Jay, but I think I'll head back to the mansion." She smiled at me with those pearly whites before heading out the greenhouse door.

_Damn it…this was gonna be harder than I thought…_

**Hope you guys liked the chapter. The next one should finally have some action. HOORAY! PLEASE REEEEVVIIIIIEEEEWWWW! **


	5. The Danger Room

**ENJOY!**

**Jay's POV**

"Can one of you guys please explain why I have to wear this damn cat suit?" I asked, holding the black and yellow uniform in the air.

"What's wrong with it? I think you'd look hot in it," Tony joked with a wink. _Smartass…_

Tony, Bobby, Piotr, and I were in the boy's changing room preparing for our Danger Room session. I hadn't exactly made up my mind if I wanted to join the junior team yet, but I was interested in how it all worked. Maybe this session would change my mind. Quinn constantly talked about how fun it was, so I was hoping she'd be right.

I had been at the mansion for almost a month now, and there were no complaints coming from my end. I was getting closer to my new friends. I had a roof over my head and food on the table. And best of all…I was getting more and more acquainted with Sam…

_Eh. Who am I kidding?_ We haven't even been on a date yet, but I'm working on it. Trust me…I've definitely been working on it.

Anyways, Sam told me that a guy named Logan wanted to see what I could do in the Danger Room. Xavier apparently talked to him about my powers and that must've sparked some type of interest.

_However_…no one told me I had to put on such an embarrassing cat suit! The other three guys seemed perfectly fine. _How many times have they worn this tight ass outfit?_

In spite of it all, I was pretty pumped to do this. It's been a long time since I've bashed something up, and I missed using my gifts.

Once I finished fitting my large muscles into the suit, the four of us headed into the actual Danger Room. The space was very bleak and bland. I was shocked at how cold it was…_Is this where all of the "action" happens? Not impressive…_

As we began talking about various things, a gruff guy walked out of a booth. He sported a very _weird _hairdo, but I knew for a fact no one said it to his face. The man looked like he could break someone in half…_literally. _

"Hey Logan. This is my friend Jay, the new guy we were telling you about," Tony said, introducing us.

I shook Logan's muscled hand, making it my mission to stare him straight in the eyes. _I wasn't gonna let him think I was intimidated in any way._

"How ya doing kid?" Logan asked. _Whoa…_this guy's voice was deep as crap. He did seem cool though.

"I'm good. Pretty stuffed in this uniform though," I teased. Logan smirked and nodded his head.

"Trust me, you get used to it after a while."

"I hope so."

"Just try not to get too '_excited'_ in these pants buddy," Tony began, "Speaking from personal experience, it doesn't end well. Everyone, and I mean _everyone, _will notice." I let out a big laugh.

"That happened to you?" I questioned.

"_Not my finest hour_," Tony replied, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"You should've been there Jay. It took Tony a week to get the school's attention off of him," Bobby joked.

"Totally," Piotr agreed chuckling violently. "He refused to show his face."

"Alright losers. Enough of that. _For God's sake, where are the girls?_" Logan huffed.

"Probably putting make-up on or something," Tony said while playing with his natural blue hair.

"Geez, it's just a Danger Room session. They're not going on a date," Piotr added.

We waited for a few minutes before Brielle, Sam, Kitty, and Jubilee waltzed towards us. _Damn…Sam looks so hot in spandex. No one should look that good in anything EVER!_

"Glad you could finally join us ladies," Logan uttered sarcastically. Brielle rolled her eyes and gave him her signature smirk.

"_Now Logan_, you know we had to get dolled up for you," she flirted. We all laughed, except Logan. He just gave the much younger girl a small grin. She must've joked like this often.

"Never gonna happen kiddo," he responded.

"Always worth a try," she finished.

I tried to make eye contact with Sam. When I did, I gave her a small smile. Thankfully, she returned the favor.

Everyday, I tried to show her I was interested. Every. Single. Day. I was just anticipating the moment when she would finally give in.

As Logan began going through all of the Pre-Danger Room information, Tony lightly grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear.

"Where's Quinn?"

"Umm…I don't know. I guess she's not in this session," I whispered back, making sure Logan couldn't spot us talking.

"_Damn_," Tony replied, visibly disappointed.

"_I knew it._ I knew you liked Quinn."

"Well duh Jay. It's not like I'm trying to hide it. I like it when she's around and I thought she was going to be here," my Italian friend replied.

"If you guys' have something to say, feel free to share it with the group," Logan said, looking straight at me and Tony.

"Sorry," we both muttered. Sam eyed me and chuckled softly before turning her attention back to our teacher.

"You should especially be paying attention rookie," Logan directed towards me. I nodded my head and gave Tony a death glare. He just rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Okay…so here we go. Colossus, Iceman, Jubilee and Kitty are in Group One. Lioness, Celeste, Spark, and Jay are in Group Two."

"His codename is Goliath by the way," Tony blurted out.

"Is that what you wanna be called rookie?" Logan asked.

"Sure…let's go with that," I said giving in.

There was no point in putting up a fight. Plus, I kinda liked the name. It fit I guess.

"The objective of this session is to retrieve a magic staff hidden in the middle of the jungle," Logan continued. _What the hell is he talking about? Jungle…I thought the Danger Room was some type of obstacle course or something._

"Hmmm…sounds too easy. What's the catch hot stuff?" Brielle inquired.

"Why do you always assume there's a catch?"

"_Because there's always a catch_," Sam added.

"Alright…_there's a catch_. But I'm not tellin'. That would ruin the surprise." _What is that supposed to mean?_

Everyone seemed excited about the situation. Jubilee and Tony even gave each other a fist bump. I didn't get spooked easily, but I was a bit intimidated. I didn't know what to expect.

The eight of us separated into our two teams. Logan walked into his booth and pressed a button.

Immediately, I heard a woman's voice. "Initiating in _three, two, one…_" A humming sound followed and the room became a blue box of holographic light.

All of a sudden, I was literally in the middle of a jungle teeming with all kinds of nature. I could even hear the thousands of birds filling the air. I looked at Sam, Tony, and Brielle in awe. They just laughed. I'm guessing this was the norm to them. The other four weren't around anymore, so I assumed they were placed in a different part of the forest.

"Alright guys, let's find this staff before the other team does," Sam ordered.

We all nodded and started running in a random direction. I was used to being on my feet, so my stamina level was great. Running for very long distances was nothing to me, but I did have to make sure I didn't stumble over any branches or twigs.

After a few minutes, a sharp arrow was shot out of nowhere and landed right in front of our feet. Brielle used her heightened senses to sniff out the culprit.

"Whoever just did that is _extremely_ close…" she muttered before looking up and eyeing someone in the trees. We all followed her gaze before we spotted a dark colored man covered in ancient markings. The man wore only a ripped cloth covering the lower half of his body. His black holes for eyes were deadly and the menacing look on his face was crazy as hell.

"_Cannibals_…Logan, you've truly outdone yourself now…" Brielle muttered.

"Everyone…stay calm…" Sam said, making sure not to make any sudden movements.

"_Easier said than done_," Tony joked through clenched teeth.

The cannibal flipped out of the tree and started slowly edging his way towards us. The four of us visibly braced ourselves for a fight. When the man got a few feet away from us, he let out a ferocious shriek. Immediately, an entire tribe of cannibals leapt from the trees and charged towards us.

Instinctually, I ran towards them in a hurry. I was already in this thing, so there was no point in panicking now. All I could do was fight these weirdos.

One guy swung at me but, I ducked and picked him up by his neck. Then I used my enhanced strength to swing him around and toss him a good distance away. Another one charged towards me and I proceeded to enlarge my fists double their size. The cannibal was out like a light once my fist connected to his face. I was so preoccupied with all of the cannibals that I didn't notice when one of them jumped on my back. I felt a sharp sting in my shoulder before turning my head and realizing his insane ass was biting me. _Who in the world made the Danger Room feel this real? This is crazy…_

I used my mutation to grow four more feet before grabbing the crazy guy off my back. I gripped him in my hand and tossed him somewhere in the trees. I swear I could hear a loud cracking sound once he hit something.

"Good work Goliath!" I could hear Sam's pretty voice yell from below. Even in the midst of all this chaos, she sounded so calm and in control.

After shrinking back to my true size, I was finally able to observe my teammates.

Tony used his electrical surges to shock our opponents. They would immediately drop to the floor and convulse in pain. Three cannibals stood in front of him at one point. He clasped his hands and a current of electricity blew them all away. In all honesty, I was blown away myself. Tony looked so serious and dedicated, compared to his usually silly self. I was impressed.

Brielle was a complete _monster_ in the Danger Room. She had transformed into a dangerous lioness and was literally ripping the heads off of the cannibals. They tried to stab her with their spears, but her feline reflexes were too quick. At one point, I saw a cannibal storm towards her. Brielle transformed back into her normal self, jumped up and wrapped her legs around his head. Then she flipped around and snapped the guy's neck.

I was most surprised to see Sam though…

She was incredible! The wait was well worth it. Her entire body was engulfed in a shiny array of white light. It appeared as though her body was made of stars. She exerted large beams of energy towards our opponents. The beams were so powerful that they catapulted the cannibals into the air. It was definitely safe to say she was a beast.

Eventually, all of our enemies in the area had been defeated.

"Let's move guys!" Sam commanded before soaring into the air. _She can fly too?! What can't this girl do?_

Running was a bit more tiring now. All of the fighting had done something to my stamina. But I refused to show my fatigue…_even if I was gonna hit my bed as soon as this was over. _

As we continued searching for the magic staff, a cannibal jumped out of the trees. He landed on Tony's back, causing him to fall to the ground.

"SPARK!" Sam screamed.

"Get off of me!" Tony yelled at the cannibal.

Before any of us could do anything, Sam flew into the air and began shooting balls of celestial energy at the cannibal. Our adversary shrieked before falling into unconsciousness.

"Thanks Celeste," Tony said before she helped him off the ground.

"No problem. Let's keep looking."

Before we started running again, I took a moment to stare at Sam. She was so beautiful…in her normal _and _mutant state. I really felt like I was staring at an actual star. Sam looked back at me and smiled.

_I know she wants me too…There's no way this thing we have is one-sided. _

All of a sudden, I heard a loud roar. I jumped before realizing it came from Lioness.

"That's her way of telling us to move it," Tony explained before we began running again.

"I feel like we're getting close," he said.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"I didn't say I was sure," Tony teased, "I said I have a feeling."

Well, Tony must've had good judgment because soon enough, we saw a glowing red light in the distance. It wasn't that far away. But of course a cannibal had to get in our way once again…

_And this one_…this one was much bigger than the other flesh eaters. He looked like he was eight feet of solid muscle. His stare was more deadly than the other ones and if I didn't know any better, I would've assumed he was possessed. As we expected, he zoomed towards us, shrieking wildly.

"Watch out!" I yelled before we all went in different directions.

Brielle had shifted back into her human form. The cannibal tried to drop both of his enormous fists on her. She used her agility to gracefully back flip away from the possible impact. Tony exerted electricity at the man, causing him to stumble back a bit. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and the cannibal struck Tony in the face, reeling him backwards.

"This jackass has got to go…" I heard Sam mutter before she soared into the air. She threw large energy slices at the cannibal. They split through his skin. I could see the gashes she was making. I really didn't expect her to be this powerful. _It was definitely a turn-on…_

The cannibal grabbed Sam in the air and began moving her towards his mouth.

"_SON OF A B-_" I yelled. I immediately began charging towards the cannibal. Hell would freeze over before I let him eat Sam. I didn't care how fake this session was. I had no desire in seeing the outcome.

As I ran towards the enemy, I grew two more feet to match his size. I looked him right in the eye and punched him dead in the chest. He dropped Sam, and I quickly grabbed her before she skillfully spiraled out of my hand.

Before I could do anything else, the maniac I was fighting gripped me up. He spun me around and tossed me to the ground. My eight foot self made a loud _THUMP! _

Brielle utilized her enhanced speed and climbed up the large cannibal from the back. When she reached his neck, she scratched him with her retractable claws. Another shriek left his mouth as Brielle did an impressive flip off of his backside.

"SPARK, NOW!" she ordered.

On cue, Tony released a huge shockwave and caused the man to stumble and fall. _FINALLY! _

"Awesome guys. Let's go get the damn staff already," Sam said.

"I feel you girl," Brielle replied with a laugh.

So we rushed towards the glowing red light. We spotted the staff on top of a big tree.

"YES! _BABY, COME TO PAPA_!" Tony hollered. We all laughed in response.

"Thank God we finally found this thing," I said. Brielle and Sam nodded their heads.

We started walking towards the tree when an arrow landed a few feet away from us. _Oh come on! Really Logan?! MORE?! _

The four us looked up and found ourselves surrounded by a large group of cannibals. They all had arrows in their hands, ready to fire. They launched their arrows and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for impact.

Out of nowhere, Sam raised her hands and created a gigantic force field that resembled a shield of stars. All of the arrows deflected and hit the cannibals instead. I was in awe, and I guess Sam could tell because she gave me a look.

"What? I was just sick of those bastards."

Brielle ran towards the tree, hurriedly climbed the branches and eventually grabbed the staff. She turned around to give us a cute smirk.

"_Let's see the other team do that_." She then did a perfect back flip off the tall branch, landing right on her feet.

Finally, the faint humming sound returned and so did the blue light. We were back in the metallic Danger Room, along with the other four junior X-Men. They looked just as worn out and fatigue ridden as we were. Logan walked out of his booth.

"Nice job Group Two. You got the staff."

"_We just had to fight demon-possessed cannibals to get it_," Tony sarcastically replied. The group chuckled.

"That was totally brutal dude," Kitty added.

"_Yeah_…I know we're an item and everything Logan but don't try that crap again," Brielle joked. Logan just rolled his eyes.

"Okay kids, get outta here before I throw in another session," he threatened.

"No thank you!" Jubilee said before rushing out the room. We all quickly followed suit.

…

Later on in the evening, I was hanging with Zach and Bridget in one of the lounge rooms. We were playing some funny card game Zach made up while watching re-runs of _Vampire Diaries_. It was Bridget's choice…she was obsessed with the show. But it was still a lot of fun. I wore a bandage on my shoulder from when one of the cannibals bit me. It still stung, but I was fine.

After a while, Brielle, Sam, and Quinn walked in the lounge.

"Oh my God! Why did no one tell me a _Vampire Diaries _marathon was on?" Quinn asked.

"I was just about to text you!" Bridget said.

"Remember the time you guys forced me to watch an episode of this show?" Zach directed towards Quinn and Bridget. They nodded excitedly before staring back at the screen.

"I'm your best friend and Bridget's your girlfriend Zach. It's our job to force you into things you don't want to do," Quinn teased. Zach just laughed and fake punched her in the arm.

Brielle asked if anyone wanted popcorn before going to make some and Sam decided to sit next to me on the couch. _Perfect…_

"You were awesome today Sam. Your power is sick," I said, complimenting her.

"You weren't too bad yourself Jay. You're like…_really_ strong," she said with one of her adorable chuckles.

I then tried to show off my muscles by extending my arms out, pretending to stretch. Sam just smirked and gave me a knowing look.

"_That was cute_," she said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, attempting to sound clueless.

"You just tried to impress me with your muscles. _Classic move._" I smiled, knowing I had been caught.

I looked around to see if anybody was watching before leaning very close to her. She just stared at me confidently with those beautiful green eyes.

"_Well…what can I say? It was worth a shot right…"_ I whispered. She grinned.

"_Maybe…" _she flirted back. We just took a few moments staring at each other. The sexual tension was so strong that I thought we were gonna make a baby right then and there.

I heard someone clear their throat behind us and grinned in embarrassment once I realized it was Brielle. She smirked at us knowingly.

"_Mhhmm…just friends my ass…"_ she muttered before handing us a bowl of popcorn.

_God! Will I ever get a chance to make a REAL move on Sam?!_

**REVIEW PLEASE! **


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